Chapter 9: Injured

Yusei shot the Devil in front of him mercilessly. The thing was so fast, though, it kept getting away. Yusei growled and pulled out his sword and stabbed the Devil, pinning it to the wall. Just before he shot it, the Devil shot out a tentacle and whacked the back of Yusei's right leg. Yusei cried out and fell over, gripping the back of his leg.

"Fucker," Yusei hissed, raising his gun and shooting the guts right out of the Devil.

Yusei pulled his sword out and put it on his back. He kicked the head of the Devil again before he attempted to walk off. As soon as he put any weight on his right leg, he collapsed on the ground. He swore again and tried to look at where the Devil hit him. The skin wasn't broken, but Yusei saw a rather nasty bruise already forming just under his knee.

Yusei swore again and gingerly crawled over to the side of a building. He sat down at the base of the wall and leaned against it. He was exhausted. That Devil had been particularly difficult, and the injury he now had didn't help his bad mood. He pulled out his phone to call someone and tell them where he was. He didn't think he would make it home if he couldn't put any pressure of his right leg. Just as he started dialing the number, his phone's battery died.

"Perfect," Yusei said sarcastically as he put the phone back in his pocket. Just then, the gloomy skies opened up, pour buckets of rain all over Yusei. Yusei punched the wall in frustration. "GOD FUCKING DAMNIT WHAT ELSE IS GOING TO GO WRONG?"

Yusei could only sit there in the rain. He pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. The rain was so heavy that he could barely see a few feet in front of him. He figured this was a rather shitty day so far. His calculus teacher 'forgot' to tell them about a test the next day, and Yusei was unprepared. He was planning to study after this job, but now he wasn't sure when he was going to be home. Also, the only thing he'd eaten all day was a piece of toast in the morning while running to the bus. So here Yusei was, he was unprepared for his test the next day, he sitting in the rain in the bad part of town, there could be Devils all over, he was out of ammo, and he was hurt, hungry and scared.

Yeah, Yusei had his priorities sorted out.

A clap of thunder sounded across the sky, making Yusei whimper and burry his face in his knees. He was having déjà vu and remembered this happening to him once before. Of course, the last time it happened he wasn't injured, just young and scared. It reminded Yusei of a song that calmed him that a stranger sang to help him that day. He hummed a little bit of it and when the thunder clapped again, he softly sang.

"Dancing bears… painted wings… things I almost remember," Yusei sang, already feeling calm with the soft lullaby. "And a song someone sings, once upon a December…"

As Yusei continued the song, he began to feel at ease again. That song always helped when it was storming outside. When he was just starting out as a Devil Hunter, he got caught in the rain much like he was at the moment. It was most likely around the same area too. He was too scared to move and had just curled up on the ground. He got a bad cold from it, but he didn't care. The memory of his parent's death was still fresh in his head at the time. Just when he thought he was going to go insane, someone came and helped him. He couldn't remember who it was for the life of him, but he remembered what they did. The person calmed him, stayed with him in the rain, sang that song to put him to sleep, and then took Yusei back to Seto and Kisara. Yusei still wished he got the boy's name…

As the song trailed off, Yusei picked up the faint sent of Devil. He knew that to be able to smell it in this rain meant that it was close. Yusei grabbed his sword and held it as if ready to attack. If this Devil didn't know he was injured, then he may be able to get out of it.

"Yusei? Is that you?" Yusei recognized the voice and squinted through the rain. He saw a small person running towards him. When the person was close enough, Yusei said Mokuba and his big, worried blue eyes. "It is you, Yusei! What are you doing in the rain?"

"I could ask you the same," Yusei said with a sigh. He pointed to his injury and said, "I can't walk and my phone's battery is dead. So I'm sorta stranded. Your turn."

"Jack took me to the park," Mokuba said, kneeling down. "I kinda ran ahead, so he'll be here any second."

"Mokuba where are you?" the two heard Jack scream.

"Over here!" Mokuba screamed back, waving his hands.

"Good God," Jack muttered, walking over to the two. "Don't run off in this storm, I can barely see…"

"Jack, Yusei's hurt!" Mokuba cried, looking from Jack to Yusei.

"Yusei?" Jack asked, squinting through the rain. He then saw Yusei sitting against the building. Jack was at his side in an instant. "What happened?"

"Hunting," Yusei said, as if that was the answer to everything.

"What's hurt?" Jack asked, not seeing any marks other than a few scratches.

"Fucking Devil did something to my leg," Yusei said, rubbing his sore calf. "I fucking hate Devils…" Yusei then looked up and remembered who he was with. "Present company excluded, of course."

"Well, can you walk?" Jack asked, wrapping his arm around Yusei's waist and pulling Yusei's right arm over Jack's shoulder. Mokuba ran ahead, saying something about getting the house ready.

"You really think I would be out in the rain if I could?" Yusei asked, looking at Jack like he was stupid.

"Right, that was a stupid question…" Jack said, nodding. "Well, our place isn't too far. You remember it, right?"

"Yeah," Yusei said, leaning heavily on Jack as they limped through the rain.

"Why didn't you call for help?" Jack asked, wondering about the competence of the local Hunters.

"Dead battery," Yusei said with a sigh.

"Epic fail," Jack said, chuckling. "My phone's in my front pocket if you want call your brothers."

"Later," Yusei said, sighing in exhaustion.

"We're here," Jack said, leading Yusei inside the dry building.

As soon as they were inside, Yusei all but collapsed onto the floor. He was so tired, and his leg was in so much pain it couldn't support even the tiniest bit of weight. Jack caught him and led him over to the couch, forcing Yusei to lie down. Jack inspected the wound quickly, making a slightly dusting of pink find its way to Yusei's cheeks. He didn't know why, but he was starting to feel a little turned on by Jack's hands on his leg.

"You really did a number on this," Jack muttered, forcing back a glare. "What did you do to it?"

"No me, my mark!" Yusei snapped, sitting up. "Fucking tentacles did something to my knee…"

"Well, what do you want to do?" Jack asked, sitting back on his haunches.

"Just wait," Yusei said with a shrug. "It should be healed in a few hours."

"Want to call your brothers?" Jack asked.

"Jaden is with Jesse and Haou is incommunicado," Yusei sighed. "And I'm not calling Seto. He'll just yell at me."

"Well, then how are you going to get home?" Jack asked slyly.

"If I knew that, I would be home already," Yusei said irritably. He now understood why Jack would be failing his classes without Yusei's help. Jack was a moron. Just then, Jack stood and started to leave. "Where are you going?"

"To get my car," Jack said simply.

Jack walked out, leaving Yusei and Mokuba alone in the building. Yusei had become like a second brother to Mokuba since he spent so much time with Jack, so the meeting wasn't awkward. However, when there was nothing to talk about or say, then the silence that pressed on became too much. That was, of course, until Mokuba spoke up.

"So do you like Jack, Yusei?" Mokuba asked so directly that Yusei literally jumped.

"Uhh… well… it's complicated," Yusei said, looking down to hide the slightly blush on his cheeks. "And a little kid like you doesn't need to know about it…"

"How old do you think I am?" Mokuba asked, cocking his head to the side cutely.

"Umm… 10, 11?" Yusei asked. Mokuba just chuckled.

"I'm 13," Mokuba corrected him.

"That's still young," Yusei said with a sigh. "Too young to be having this conversation."

"Still, do you like him or not?" Mokuba asked, pouting cutely.

That was something Yusei needed to ask himself. Did he like Jack? He wasn't sure. His mind was screaming at him to say no. Jack was a Devil, the leader of a very dangerous pack. Yusei should have killed him many months ago. But then Yusei was reminded of that kiss. That sweet first kiss. Yusei had wanted to forget about that, but he found it very difficult to do so. He felt his face heat up as he remembered that day.

"So is that a yes?" Mokuba asked innocently.

Before Yusei could respond, Jack waltzed back in victoriously. Yusei could feel his spirits brighten when he saw Jack smile at him. He also felt his face heat up because of his thoughts not moments ago. Mokuba chuckled knowingly.

"Ready to go?" Jack asked, coming over to the couch.

"Yeah," Yusei said with a nod.

"Here, let me help you," Jack said as he saw Yusei try to stand. He hooked an arm around the raven's waist and helped him stand. Yusei felt his face become even hotter. He knew he was blushing. Jack just chuckled and helped Yusei into his car. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Shitty," Yusei replied simply.

"I was looking for something a little more descriptive, but I guess that will have to do…" Jack sighed. "How's Jaden?"

"Fine," Yusei shrugged. "He's been getting a lot better, with the whole 'suicidal' thing."

"That's good," Jack said with a smile, sparing a glance at Yusei before focusing back on the road before him.

"At this point, I'm waiting for his scent to change," Yusei said with a sigh.

"His scent…? Why?" Jack asked, utterly confused. "Why would his scent change?"

"You're a Devil and you don't know?" Yusei asked with a chuckle. "A Devil's scent changes when they mate."

"I knew that," Jack said with a sigh. "Why do you think his scent will change anytime soon?"

"Because I know he'll hook up with Jesse," Yusei said simply.

"And you're okay with that?" Jack asked, almost surprised.

"I've been fine with it for months," Yusei said with a miserable sigh. He leaned his hand on his palm and looked out the window and muttered, "I've learned to not get in the way of love. It just causes so much more pain and suffering… I promised my father I would protect my brothers, not hurt them like I did…"

"Did you ever tell him that?" Jack asked, sparing a glance at Yusei. Who shook his head. "Why not? I'm sure if Jaden knew then this insanity wouldn't have happened."

"I couldn't tell him," Yusei said guiltily. "Because then I would have to admit that I… nevermind. Forget I said anything."

Jack hummed and turned his eyes back to the road. He figured that Yusei would tell him when he was ready. Jack could not help but be curious. He wanted to know so badly what Yusei was going to say. Jack had a good idea, but he wanted to be sure.

A few minutes later, Jack pulled up to Yusei's house. When Jack actually looked at the building, he nearly jumped. He assumed that maybe Seto, or even Kisara would be home. But the house was pitch black inside. He heard Yusei sigh and grab his sword.

"Is that normal?" Jack asked, looking at the house and turning off the car.

"Yeah," Yusei said forlornly. "Kisara told us that she would be working on a show tonight. Seto is stuck in the office until tomorrow. Jaden is with Jesse all weekend and Haou… well, we have no idea where Haou is at the moment…"

"How long have you been home alone?" Jack asked in a worried tone.

"Umm… when was it…?" Yusei asked himself, looking up to the roof of the car in thought. "Let's see… Haou left… a few weeks ago… Jaden was gone… Friday? Thursday. No, it was Friday. Seto hasn't been home for… a week? Maybe, more? Less? Less. A few days. And Kisara… Has not been home since yesterday… So I have been alone since yesterday."

"My God…" Jack breathed. "I'm sorry, but your family is a little wacky."

"No, no, I agree," Yusei said with a nod. "We're very, very crazy. It was comes from having a Devil as a father and a human as a mother. From what I heard, my father was very… well, he was calm, cool and collected."

"Ah, yes, the Great Devil Hakase Fudo," Jack said with a nod. "I remember him. I looked up to him when I was growing up. And you're right, he was very calm. From what I heard, not even Satan could make him flinch."

"Yeah…" Yusei said with a fond smile. "I'm proud to say I'm his son…. Anyway, when he was with me and Jaden and Haou, he was so much fun. He would pick us up over his head sometimes and run around the room, saying that we were flying. And poor Jaden was afraid of heights, so when Father would pick him up, he would start screaming and kicking wanting to get down. Then Mother would come in and tell Father to put Jaden down and then she'd chew my father out. It was so funny watching a human woman yelling at the most powerful Devil ever and actually making him scared."

"Ah, yes, Hell hath to wrath like a mother scorned," Jack said with a chuckle.

"Father would tell us later that he was actually scared when Mother yelled at him," Yusei said with a chuckle. "The look on his face was priceless. He would be looking at the floor and shuffling his feet and he couldn't put a sentence together to save his life. It would make us laugh so hard. And Mother would smile at us when she saw us smiling, snap one last time at Father, and then go back to whatever she was doing before. God, I miss them so much…"

"What happened to them, if it's not a rude question?" Jack asked carefully.

"A giant spider demon killed them," Yusei said, clenching his fists together. "Murdered them in their sleep no less!"

"Yusei, calm down," Jack said calmly, putting a hand on Yusei's shoulder.

"I can't help it," Yusei hissed through gritted teeth. "I swore on that day that I would kill any Devil that could cause my family harm."

"That explains so much," Jack said with sudden realization.

"Explains what?" Yusei asked, looking up at Jack with curiosity in his eyes, every bit of his previous anger gone.

"Why you were so hostile to us," Jack said simply. "Especially Jesse, the poor kid. He was scared shitless of you for weeks."

"Epic," Yusei said with a sadistic chuckle.

"Come on, let's get you inside," Jack said, getting out of the car. He went over to Yusei's side and opened the door. He went to scoop Yusei's up bridal style when Yusei jolted back. "What's wrong?"

"I can walk," Yusei said, unbuckling his seat belt and swinging his legs out of the car. "You don't have to carry my like I'm some inva—ACK!" Yusei tried to take a step out of the car on his bad leg and instantly fell over into a small puddle. Jack face palmed and bent down.

"Need help now?" Jack asked with an innocent smile.

"Yes please," Yusei said sheepishly.

Jack chuckled and picked Yusei up bridal style. Yusei felt his face heat up as Jack carried him up to the porch. Jack smirked when he felt Yusei bury his face in Jack's shoulder. He tried the door, only to find that it was locked. Yusei sighed and reached into his pocket, handing Jack the skeleton key.

"Yusei, what is this?" Jack asked, looking at the very, very old key.

"The key to the front door," Yusei said simply.

"My God, anyone can break into houses with these locks," Jack said, unlocking the door and kicking it open. He walked inside and looked around a little. "Um, do you want to change out of your wet clothes?"

"Yes, please," Yusei said, pointing up the stairs. "It's the door on the left as soon as you go up the stairs. It has an 'Enter At Your Own Risk' sign on the door."

"Alright," Jack said, walking up the stairs.

When Jack got up the stairs, his eyes immediately landed on the door. He sighed at the sign and opened the door. He instantly realized why the sign was there. The room was a complete mess. Jack could barely see the floor due to the clutter. On the little bit of the hard wood that he did see, it was covered in dust. Jack sighed and set Yusei down on the queen sized bed. He then looked around a little, confused.

"Um, where are your nightclothes?" Jack asked, looking at the mess.

"Right here," Yusei said, pulling out a pair of motorcycle Snoopy pajama pants and a T-shirt out from under the pillow.

Jack nodded and turned around as Yusei began to change. He was going to be patient and not do anything, but Jack felt a nagging in his gut. He let his instincts take over and began to shed himself of his soaked leather coat and white shirt. He turned around and before Yusei could process what was happening, Jack had him pinned to the bed, kissing him deeply.

Yusei was about to fight back. He was about to throw Jack off and then kill the Devil for doing something like that. But, he felt something with in him that he never felt before. As they gave into the feelings of passion and pleasure, they didn't realize something more happening. Something exciting that would change their lives forever. They were not just fucking that night.

They were mating.

A/N: longest chapter to date.

i know, i skimped out on the smex. cause i wanted to focus more on the feeling than what they were actually doing,. and even that, i think i failed...

i don't really have much to say...

i tried to write this in school, but so many people read over my shoulders, so it was too awkward. and when i got home was near impossible.

BUT I GOT IT!

lols, enjoy all~~